Review of Come-From-Aways by Tony PiIn this story, we meet a man called Madoc who has arrived on the Newfoundland coast by sea. He doesn’t speak any understandable language, although a linguist suspects links to Welsh. As a linguist improves their understanding of his language, this fascinating tale unfolds of storms, time-jumps and metal.

This was, for me, quite a peaceful story – perhaps inspired by the Newfoundland environs as described in the book. Despite mention and experience of storms, nevertheless, the sense of peace remained as the story unfolded. A fascinating concept – that of an individual caught in a time-jump/loop linked to the date/s.

I quite enjoyed this short story. It was pleasant, but I cannot say it grabbed my imagination. Nevertheless, it did have something compelling to it that drew me in. Singh’s narrative is very vivid, and one can identify with the despair and the confusion – the craziness – of the main character.

What I really did enjoy was the visions he had of Delhi in different times, the people he met and interacted with – or didn’t. Singh portrayed these concepts very well, making it believable. Also, with her being a native of Delhi, although I’ve never been there, I felt I had through her words.

This was a fascinating story. In this world Masson creates, as one travels south, one travels down-time (time moves slower) while as one travels north, one travels up-time – where time moves very quickly. I loved how Masson further illustrates this by abbreviating names in the up-time latitudes down to initials, while in the south (down-time), one accesses the more complete (and very lengthy!) names of places and people. This was an excellent device, and added to the puzzle.

The story follows H, a soldier on the Frontier. He’s right near the sight-barrier, and the enemy is on the far side. Just twenty metres from his position. But he’s only there for a relatively short time – as he’s soon Relieved and must return to the South, where many years have passed since he left.

I won’t say any more about the plot, as to discuss too much more is to give it all away. But suffice it to say I really enjoyed this story. It was a puzzle to pick apart, food for thought, and all I expect from a story that investigates the concept of time. And a few other questions.